


Stakeout

by bowiesnippleantennae



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Cryptid Hunting, Cryptids, M/M, POV Multiple, Paranormal, Paranormal Investigators, Spooky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 21:37:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15397986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowiesnippleantennae/pseuds/bowiesnippleantennae
Summary: It's with less of a feeling of annoyance and more of a feeling of absolute, pants-shitting dread, that Riku takes in a deep breath, eyes closed, before opening them up enough to peer down at Sora, back against the bed as he sits on the floor, head leaned back and looking up at Riku with expectant, unearthly blue eyes.“You’re not serious.”“Oh, but I am.” He shoots that same toothy grin that makes Riku weak. Because he knows that he’s lost. He lost the moment Sora said his name. He lost before he even thought about winning.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> nyello, bet you never thought I'd start another fic with like 5 other fics that I've yet to finish and yet............

Riku would need at least ten extra hands to count all the times Sora has corralled Riku into doing something, for a lack of a better word, stupid. There wasn’t a time when Sora didn’t start up a conversation with “Riku, guess what!” that Riku didn’t roll his eyes and send a pout to the side because he sure did know where this was going. Likewise, there was never a time where Riku didn’t eventually reply with a defeated “what?” and even so, a time never did pass where he was rewarded with a beaming, toothy smile and mischievous eyes that crescented like two blue moons.

What would happen next was a toss-up. Sometimes would lead them to Saturday detention. Riku would moan and complain and tell Sora that was the last time – The Last Time – he ever entertains one of Sora’s hair-brained ideas. To that, Sora would always send him that same blinding smile and the remaining silence would be spent with Riku pointedly ignoring the little wads of paper flicked at the back of his head until he gives up feigning maturity and sends a spitball back when the teacher isn’t looking.

Other times were more advantageous. Sora would say Riku was lucky to have a friend that found interesting things in the forest by their neighborhood. Riku would shoot back a negatory. That _No, Sora, it was not cool to drag me into an abandoned shed just because you found it while you got lost biking because you had to leave the hiking trail._ But Sora would remind him that nothing bad happened. They got to write their names on the side of the decrepit building, along with a star-shaped fruit that always seemed to accompany Sora throughout the years. On his school notes, smudged in sharpie on a wrist, traced on the back of Riku’s hand when they were bored and the next dangerous activity wasn’t coming to mind. Then on the side of the shed, shooting over Riku and Sora’s names like a meteor.

And then there were times when Riku ended up in the ER with a busted nose and a sprained ankle _because that small bridge over the creek was condemned for a reason_ , but Sora said there was a legend about the bridge and if they had just been wearing the right _shoes_ — The doctor didn’t think it was very funny. Neither did their parents. He had to get stitches for the gash on his cheek.

Or the time where Sora convinced Riku that they needed to stake out the cow farm across the river. Sora claimed to have seen strange lights coming from the field and heard weird sounds of animals being tortured and _wouldn’t it be cool, Riku? If we caught whatever was happening on film?_ Whoever thought it was a good idea to gift Sora a digital camera for his birthday needed to be flogged. Preferably by Riku himself.

Recollection is a funny thing because Sora remembers that night as one of the most adrenaline-inducing nights of his life, where he got all his cardio in for the week in one sitting. He had never laughed so hard. And aren’t these kinds of things _funnier_ in hindsight?

Riku remembers if a little differently. He remembers seeing the farmer out in the fields when he should have been asleep. And a flashlight shining in their faces. And yelling and gunshots, something about cow-tipping, Riku grabbing Sora’s hand and making a mad dash into the forest. Bumping into a herd of wild boars, spooking them and then being chased out of the said forest by giant snorting pigs with eyes that glowed when the flashlight of the angry farmer ran across their snouts.

It's with less of a feeling of annoyance and more of a feeling of absolute, pants-shitting dread, that Riku takes in a deep breath, eyes closed, before opening them up enough to peer down at Sora, back against the bed as he sits on the floor, head leaned back and looking up at Riku with expectant, unearthly blue eyes.

“You’re not serious.”

“Oh, but I am.” He shoots that same toothy grin that makes Riku weak. Because he knows that he’s lost. He lost the moment Sora said his name. He lost before he even thought about winning.

“I’m going to ask a really stupid question,” Riku says slowly, pushing his textbook to the side and shifting his foot that is now asleep under the weight of his opposite leg. Sora waits patiently, a smile on his face, innocent eyes that are anything but. “There have been _recent_ sightings of a– what was it called?”

“Heartless.” Sora provides.

“Right, _heartless._ ” Riku sighs. “And you’ve seen one?”

Sora’s eyes glance to the left, away from Riku in thought. His bottom lip juts out a little as he decides on what to say next. “Well, _seen_ isn’t the word I would use, personally. But I know it was there.”

Riku blinks once, knowing that to ask him what the ever-loving _fuck_ that means is already pointless. He’d never get a straight answer. So, he decides to go the diplomatic route. “And where did you…”

“Feel.” Sora provides again.

“Right, where did you _feel_ this… entity?” For lack of a better word.

“Mm…” Sora hums, pulling his head forward to look at Riku’s bedroom door where stickers, caution tape, and old movie tickets taped to the white painted wood in a chaotic swirl. They had started adding to his door with the first movie they saw together, _Along Came Polly_. Sora had held his ticket in his hand, front tooth missing, wanting to keep the memory in a tangible way. Riku was the one that suggested getting the tape. His mom ended up not minding. “You know the park with the busted swing set?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s a little path,” Sora lifts his arm lazily, pointing a finger at the door as if the trail started there, but only Sora could see it, “and if you follow it, there’s a small pond with a tree fallen over across it,”

“Did you cross the tree?” Riku asked, already knowing the answer.

“I crossed the tree,” Sora said with the seriousness of a Victorian mortician. Riku rubbed a hand over his face, holding back a groan. One day, it was going to be Sora in the ER instead of him. How that hadn’t happened already was beyond him.

“The brush gets a little thick around there, but I was in pants, so I thought, what the hell? Pushed through that for a while until I found another clearing. Looked like an old camp spot.” Sora glances up at Riku to shoot him a knowing smile and Riku’s back straightens because he can’t _believe_ that with just that look and the mention of a campground that he’s already mentally navigating his own attic to where the box of his family’s camping gear is located.

“I stayed there for a while, found a salamander, you know. The usual. And then I heard something rustling…” Sora pauses for dramatics.

“Let me guess, it was like a rabbit or something?” Riku says, sarcasm thick in his tone and smirk on his face, the one he usually uses when dealing with one of Sora’s outlandish stories. He’s awarded a patented Sora Pout, complete with pink tongue sticking out and scrunched up nose.

“It was a Heartless, duh.” He says, the glare he shoots Riku after pulling his tongue back into his mouth is as scary as a hamster, and just as round. They weren’t really kids anymore, but Sora had yet to shake off the look of one, round cheeks and all.

Riku ponders this for a moment, searching Sora’s face for any micro expressions that might let on that Sora was just fucking with him. Sora’s gaze is steadfast and intense, like he knows Riku is looking for some lie that isn’t there.

The moment feels longer than it should and Riku’s inner struggle with whether to call Sora out on his bullshit or relent and ask when the next stakeout is going to be must show on his face because Sora blinks rapidly and turns around fully to grab Riku’s knee and shake it.

“I’m _serious_ , Riku. I know what it was.” He looks almost hysterical, in a subdued way that means this conversation isn’t going to dwindle down without a definite response. Riku can feel the beginnings of a headache come on.

“Sora, listen…” He begins, brows scrunched in the middle to offset the ache that’s growing in the middle of his forehead. “I believe you felt what you think you felt but I don’t know if… What is it that you even want to accomplish?” He sputters, realizing mid-sentence that he almost gave away the fact that he had been mentally planning this excursion in his head before Sora even voiced his idea.

Just as Riku makes this horrifying self-discovery, a shit-eating grin slowly spreads across Sora’s face and, for the umpteenth time that night, Riku knows he’s lost.

“You’re going to get us arrested.” Is the least he can say in response to Sora’s growing smile, eyes crescenting the way they always do when he knows he has Riku backed into a corner.

“Oh, come on, Riku. Have I ever steered you wrong?”

He has, but Riku thinks he might be a little bit of a masochist because he’d rather see that dazzling smile than the blank disappointment of turning his not-offer down.

Riku hangs his head, burying his face in both hands and groans softly before peeking between two fingers up at Sora. “Let me just check the attic. We’re not going through with this half-assed.”

He’s rewarded with a ‘ _yahoo!_ ’, a fist in the air, and a very fond, ‘you’re the best, Riku,’ so it might just end up being worth the hassle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a lot longer than I anticipated but here it. Inspiration hit me yesterday and I whipped this out mostly last night. Enjoy!

Sora met Riku when they were in pre-school. Well, Sora was in pre-school. Riku was supposed to be in kindergarten, but because of him moving into the town around that time, and his birthday, or maybe a decision made by his parents, Riku was in the same, half-day pre-school class as Sora.

Riku was introduced to the class and then spent most of the morning sitting in a corner with a cardboard book, looking out of place but not caring much about it. Sora knew that that was boring and why would anyone want to _read_? So, he took it upon himself to walk over to the newcomer and ask if he wanted to play.

What came out instead was an incredulous, “Do you even _know_ how to read?” To that, the boy looked up, eyes sparing no emotion and mouth set in a slackline like this was probably the most boring situation he’d ever been in.

“ _Yes_.” The boy replied with the same annoying inflection that Sora had just hit him with his question.

“I don’t believe you,” Sora said, looking down his nose at the other boy, arms crossed and hip popped. He had seen his mom do this when she was telling him to clean his room and he wanted to get his point across in the same manner.

The boy looked up at Sora, eyes brighter than Sora’s ever seen on another person before those same eyes closed and the boy smirked.

“I can read it to you. I’m not a liar.” Sora gaped at him, not knowing if that was a lie or not.

“Nah-uh,” he said, but he could feel his own resolve slipping.

“Yeah-huh,” he shot back, closing the book and holding it up, the cover facing Sora. He pointed at the first word and sounded out the sounds. “Buh… Br-row…n. Bee- Be-air…” He started, concentrating on the cover and effectively blowing Sora’s mind.

“Brown. Bear,” he said with more confidence. “Brown Bear, Wh...Whuh… Wuh-at. Dyu… Do… You. Seh… no, See!” Riku looks up, his mouth spread in a proud grin. “See, I _told_ you.” He said.

Sora wanted to poke fun or bristle at his attitude or convince him that reading was _still_ boring, but what he did instead was sit down next to the boy who kind of leaned away, but Sora’s eyes were wide and he hadn’t met someone his age who could read. How did he do it? How did he learn already? That was big kid stuff. That was _adult_ stuff. Sora needed to know.

“What are you…” The boy started. Sora, eyes stuck on the book, leaned on a hand and offered his own name.

“I’m Sora.”

“Riku…” Riku replied, giving Sora a suspicious look.

“Keep going.” Sora urged, crossing his legs and holding onto his touching ankles both hands. Riku tilted his head in response but Sora’s bouncing in excitement seemed to persuade Riku to open the cover and continue.

* * *

 

Riku has probably the coolest attic Sora has ever been in. Not saying he’s been in many attics, but Riku’s is particularly interesting given just how much stuff he’s accumulated over the years. How much family history is trapped in that dusty, humid room? Boxes of things labeled by years, years before Sora and Riku met and before either of them were born.

The first time Riku took Sora up into his attic, they were looking for something to use for a group project. Riku had mentioned his dad golfed and that they could use golf balls to show buoyancy in different types of liquid. Leave it to Riku to come up with the best possible plan ever. The dust was thick, the afternoon sun spilling through the small window that looked out over the front yard. Boxes with “Riku’s baby photos,” and “Riku’s toys” scribbled on the cardboard flaps, shoved quickly to the side before Sora got any ideas.

Sora remembers sitting up there for a long time, looking through boxes that had nothing to do with golf and more to do with piqued interests from both of the boys. Riku’s attic is a treasure trove of neat things, trinkets, old clothes, photo albums, books, and more.

Things like camping equipment and survival rations left over from Riku’s grandfather who served in some war. Things that are perfect for their little camping trip to find something earth-shattering. It feels like this might be it. This might be the time that Sora actually captures something. He can feel his fingers tingle with the anticipation as Riku pulls out an old sleeping bag, coughing at the cloud of dust that follows it.

“They’re old, but they’ll get the job done.” He says, patting the sleeping bag he’s holding and watching a flurry of dust particles fly off the fabric. “They can stand up to twenty degrees below zero, so I think we’ll be fine.”

“Mm.” Sora hums in the affirmative. “It _is_ getting colder out.” Sora moves over to another box that’s labeled ‘camping’ and pulls open the tabs. “Is this the tent?” He asks and Riku nods.

“You think we’ll actually find something?” Riku says, watching Sora rummage through the box, pulling out a long bag of tent poles. “Because not for nothin’, but we’ve never been lucky before.”

Sora scoffs at that, looking up at his friend. “Well, with an attitude like that, no wonder.” Riku rolls his eyes to that. “You don’t have to come with me, you know?”

“But you’ll still need my camping stuff, right?” Riku deadpans, crossing his arms as he leans against a tower of boxes.

“You got me there,” Sora chuckles. “But also, I wouldn’t mind the company.” More like, he just wants to experience this with Riku. As far as Sora can remember, he’s wanted to impress his best friend. Everything he does with the other is to keep Riku on his toes, keep his eyes on Sora. “Also, I don’t know how to set up half of this stuff…” He adds.

Riku stands up from his leaning position and walks over to Sora, chuckling softly. “Alright, dork,” He says it softly, delicately. Sora loves it when Riku takes that tone with him. “I can either tell you how to set this up or,” He trails off, leaning into Sora’s space to pull the bag of tent poles out of the box.

“Or?” Sora asks, a little incredulous.

“Or, you can just shut up and let me come with you like I promised I would.” He finishes, ruffling Sora’s hair roughly and slinging the tent pole bag over his shoulder as he straightens up. “Now, get that box and let’s get out of here before I get a sinus infection.” Sora watches as Riku bends over to pick up a sleeping bag before Sora pics up the tent box and stands up.

“Catch,” is Riku’s only warning before he’s tossing the sleeping bag at Sora, it landing perfectly in the box, even with Sora’s yelp of surprise and him balancing on one foot as he tries to right himself.

Sora’s rewarded with another husky chuckle as Riku climbs down the rickety attic stairs.

“Dick,” Sora mumbles with a little cough from the dust that’s been dancing around them the entire time.

“What was that?” Riku calls up the stairs and Sora hurries down, with a little ‘nothing!’ almost toppling the box of tent equipment all over the floor. Riku catches his arm in a firm grasp and chuckles. “Careful.”

Sora blinks up at him dumbly before pulling away and righting himself.

“I’m fine. Let’s clean this stuff up and see what we have to work with.”

“Lead the way,” Riku says and Sora’s not sure, but Riku’s seemed a little more teasing today, getting under Sora’s skin in a cozy way and burrowing into his nerves. Sora’s not sure if he likes what this could possibly mean for him or not.

* * *

 

Riku had given Sora one of his walkie-talkies when they were in the 6th grade.

“We can talk to each other from our rooms,” Riku informed him with a toothy smile. “That way, if you see something, you can tell me.”

Sora messed with the large button on the side and flinched when it made a loud static pop. “So, you mean when I see the…” Sora leaned in, checking over his shoulder for something that isn’t there. They were alone in Riku’s room, after all. “The ghost…” He finished with a conspiratorial tone.

“You said it only comes out at night. Well, at night we’re at our own homes. Maybe this way, you can tell me what’s going on when it’s happening and I can, I dunno…” Riku trailed off, glancing at his open window. “I can sneak out and come over and we can get evidence together!” Sora smiled widely at that. Riku was so smart. He could come up with the best plans. Sora was really lucky to have a friend like that, especially a friend with walkie-talkies.

“Oh, yeah that could work! It always comes around ten, when I’m in bed and my parents are still downstairs, but…” Sora looked down at the walkie-talkie in his hand, pulling the antenna up and back down again. “They don’t believe me, even though they’re awake.” Sora pouted down at the walkie-talkie before seeing Riku move in his periphery.

“Well, they’re dumb,” said Riku, brows pulling a little. “Whoever doesn’t believe you is dumb.” He said it like it’s obvious. Like it was his own personal gospel. “They just aren’t paying attention, is all. And who needs them? Now, you can just call me up and I’ll run right over.”

Sora caught himself gaping, a look of wonder on his face before he shook it off and gave Riku a firm nod. “Mn!” He couldn’t stop the huge smile that spread across his face. Sora was _really_ lucky to have a friend like Riku. Who else would stop everything to come to his friend’s rescue, even if it meant possibly getting caught and also grounded for who knows how long? No one, that’s who.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll keep the walkie-talkies on at all times so that as soon as you notice something, I’ll be right there, ready to answer. I think I can climb out of my window without making too much noise. Just keep an eye on whatever it is and stay close to your window so you can let me in.”

Sora had nodded to that, a determined look on his face. Riku smiled at his friend and ruffled his hair like he had started doing when they both entered middle school. Sora thought he’d hate it but it’s grown on him.

That had a few more minutes before Riku’s mom had called them down for dinner and they spent the entire meal locking eyes and giggling conspiratorially over their plan. His parents must have chalked it up to some game they were playing because neither boy was ever caught.

There were many nights where Sora would hear a small pebble hit his window after he sent a frantic message over the walkie-talkie. He’d let Riku in and if they never found anything, they’d still huddle under Sora’s blanket on his bed and quietly swap conspiracy stories until one of them was starting to nod off.

They never did find that catch that ghost, though.

* * *

 

“Oh, come on, Kai… it’ll be fun.” Sora whines, even if Kairi is already shaking her head with a sympathetic smile on her face.

“Begging isn’t going to get you anywhere, Sora.” She says, flipping a page of her magazine. They’re lounging in her room this time, Sora laying on a bean bag and Kairi sprawling on her bed, kicking her feet in the air. “Besides, it’s not like I wouldn’t _want_ to, I just can’t.” Sora huffs at that.

“Make up an excuse to get out of it.”

“Sora.” She says, leveling him with an amused look.

“What?” He says, flopping his arms out and staring at the ceiling. “You’ve done it before.”

“Yes, and I got in trouble and then I had to make up for it. This isn’t high school, Sora. I have a job to do. I get paid for this. And it’s credit towards my major.” She says, going back to her magazine. “Besides, Riku’s going with you.” At that, she sends him a sideways glance that’s anything but innocent.

“So?” Sora calls back, already feeling his face warm up. He should have never confided in her about how he might-- JUST MIGHT-- think his best friend is overly attractive for guy.

“ _So_ , this is a perfect time for you two to, ya know…” She trails off, giving Sora a cheeky little grin that he does not like one bit.

“You’ve been reading those magazines too much, Kairi.” He pouts, looking away with a huff, attempting to hide how red his face must be. “They’ve got you thinking there’s something there that definitely isn’t. Riku’s my bro.”

Kairi holds up the magazine she’s been reading. “Oh, yes, because I’m definitely getting my romance material from a marine biology magazine,” she drawls, with a roll of her eyes. “Especially this part about,” She opens up a page and reads, “Sea Stars Critical to Kelp Forest Resilience.”

Sora chuckles at that and concedes. “Okay, I get it.”

“Look, Sora,” she sits up, tucking her feet under herself. “I’m not saying you should tell him or anything, nothing out of your comfort zone, but at least be honest with yourself. Do you actually think there’s actually a,” she pauses, moving her hands in small circles as she tries to remember the word he had used, “ _Heartless_ in the woods? It sounds like an excuse to me, is what I mean.”

“An excuse for what?” Sora sputters, sitting up with another small pout on his lips.

“To be with Riku.” She points out, eyes wide. “You know, alone.” Sora’s eyes widen a fraction. “At night.” She punctuates and Sora, to his best ability, hadn’t thought of the consequences of this little excursion. “All night.” She finishes and Sora’s face is fully red now. It almost hurts with the force of his blush.

He stumbles to his knees, half falling out of the bean bag chair, hands waving in front of his face as he panics. “N-no! Not like- I didn’t mean for-! I don’t think it’ll be like that! It’s-- It’s _not_ what you think!”

“Oh, I’m sure.” She says, offhandedly, laying on her side this time, with her head propped on her hand. “But, that’s what it seems like.”

Sora sighs, looking down at his hands that have fallen into his lap.

Sora first noticed Riku-- _truly noticed_ Riku their senior year of high school. They had gym together which seemed to please Sora more than it pleased Riku. Sora was the competitive one and Riku was notorious for going along with whatever harebrained schemes Sora seemed to come up with. Like, running the mile backward, seeing who could bounce a basketball higher and the infamous acorn fight.

Sora would notice things about Riku that would throw him off kilter a little. Sweat dripping off his chin, the way his eyes lit up when he realized he was beating Sora at something. His little shoves when Sora said something ridiculous. The way he tied his shoelaces-- double knotted, just in case.

More importantly, it was the mistake of having their lockers next to each other in the locker room. Seeing Riku’s form build up over the years never failed to draw Sora’s attention. First, he brushed his slight obsession off as envy. Sora wasn’t nearly as muscular. He struggled with gaining weight, his stamina, his speed. Riku seemed to excel in all aspects physical. Even his face was shaping out to be lean and handsome while Sora’s stayed boyish and round. It was envy, Sora was sure of it.

Then he had a dream. And that dream involved a very shirtless Riku and a very intimate hug and sweet nothings whispered in Sora’s ear and it shocked him so bad, he had a hard time speaking with Riku at school for a week.

Enter Kairi, who Riku must have confided in, voicing his concerns that Sora was acting weird and she took it upon herself to corner him in the hallway and demand he tells her what his problem was.

One awkward confrontation and a sleepover later and Sora had spilled the beans that he had thought of Riku in ways that weren’t very friendly or socially acceptable for a straight boy to think of his guy friend. Kairi had laughed, saying that she thought something _bad_ had happened and that she was relieved it was just that.

Sora didn’t think it was that relieving. She’s poked fun at him ever since.

“I know what I saw,” Sora says with a finality that means the Riku train of conversation is over.

Kairi gives him a long, thoughtful look before shrugging her shoulders and opening up her magazine again. “I’m sure you did, Sora.”

* * *

 

The leaves have only started to change when Riku and Sora decide on a day to start their camping weekend. Sora insists on it being the whole weekend, arguing that it’s not like either of them have anything else to do and it gives them more opportunities to catch something if the first night turns out to be a bust.

Really, Sora thinks that this won’t be the only time they try this, especially if something shows up and they get even a hint that there’s something out there other than the local fauna.

Sora sees his breath as he huffs out a sigh, sitting on the creaking swing as he waits for Riku to show up. They’re going to walk to the deserted campground before they actually go camping so that they can see how easily it is to find and how much room they’re working with. It’s Riku’s idea and leaves it to Riku to smooth out all the kinks in Sora’s plan.

Sora knows that’s why they’ve always worked well together. Riku has all of Sora’s missing screws. Every single one.

The air is dry and cold and Sora burrows his nose deep in his sweater collar, warming the skin a little.

“He better not have forgotten,” Sora murmurs to himself, wishing he still had that walkie-talkie. They’re more fun than cell phones, anyway.

It’s not until Sora’s about to give up and fish his phone out of his pocket that he hears the scuffing of boots against gravel and sees Riku’s hunched figure heading towards him from the parking lot. Sora smiles a little and stands up from the swing to meet him.

“You ready?” He asks, an easy smile on his face. Riku returns it, albeit a little on the cocky side.

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope!” Sora turns on his heel and heads towards the hiking trail that leads into the small woods. The swing creaks as it rocks back and forth.

The ground is packed down from years of use, a perfect trail cut out of the thick woods. Sora leads Riku along it until they come across the creek. Riku and Sora had spent many summers in that creek, catching crawfish and other small creatures. Sora would chase Riku with a crawfish, pinchers out and Riku would find a stick and chase him back. It was a simpler time.

“Where’s the path you mentioned?” Riku says as Sora stops to stare at the creek.

“It’s around here, I remember,” Sora looks up from the water and scans the treeline. “I think, it was a little further down, but it kind of follows the creek, so I know we’re in the right spot.”

Riku nods and heads downstream, keeping close to the treeline. The wind blows a little and he tightens his jacket, putting the open flaps close.

“You cold?” Sora jokes and Riku sends him a withering look. “I think the dust in my attic compromised my immune system.” He says with a sniffle. Sora rolls his eyes.

“You’re fine. There’s no way you’re going to get sick before we do this. Up your vitamin C intake.” Sora chuckles at Riku’s second withered look and he does look withered, a little on the pale side. His usual gusto lacking. “Hey…” He says calmingly and picks up his pace to match Riku’s, wrapping his arms about the other’s torso and rubbing Riku’s arms to warm up.

Riku stumbles a little, looking more shocked than anything before he realizes what Sora’s doing. “Goof.” He mumbles but doesn’t protest.

They find the small path not too long after and it’s Sora who spots it first, grabbing Riku’s wrist and shaking his arm.

“There! See, I told you!” He shouts, laughing as he pulls Riku towards the overgrown trail.

Unlike the main hiking trail, this one looks old, unused, and quite frankly, dangerous. But, Sora’s been down it before and it’s not that bad. He just had to look out for spiders but the cold air has chased most of the bugs away this time of year.

“Just where the hell are you taking me?” Riku asks, veiling his uncertainty with sarcasm. Sora just smiles, pushing past a low hanging branch and holding it up so it doesn’t hit Riku in the face.

“The clearing! It’s this way, remember? I said it was down a small path and then over the pond and just on the other side of some bushes.”

“For some reason, I feel like you’re taking me out here where no one will find my body,” He jokes and Sora laughs but doesn’t offer him a reply to that and he knows that that just makes Riku even more uneasy. It’s kinda funny.

The path does leave to a pond with a tree that’s fallen over it like a natural bridge. Sora lets go of Riku’s sleeve and bend down to make sure his shoes are laced. When he stands up, he stretches a bit and looks back at Riku, knowing his face must look crazed with how excited he is.

“You ready?”

Riku blinks before setting his gaze a little more sternly. “How sturdy is that tree?” Sora shrugs but waits expectantly for Riku to make a move.

After a beat, Riku sighs and runs a hand through his hair, ruffling the silver strands. He somehow looks perfect doing that and his hair, much to Sora’s chagrin, falls back into place. “This is one of the stupidest things you’ve ever made me do.”

Sora’s grin widens, his nose scrunching up at how big his smile gets. “Oh, come on. It’s not like that time we broke into the library just so you didn’t get that late fee.”

“Sora.”

“Or the time we got chased by that farmer and those boars in the same night.”

“Yeah, but--”

“Or when we found Kairi’s bra under her bed and shoved it in the freezer.”

“Okay, yes. That one was stupid.”

“Riku, it’s just a thick tree trunk, part of the roots are still in the ground,” Sora motions towards the tree to get Riku to look for himself. “And if you fall in, the pond is super shallow. I promise you, it’s fine.”

Riku still looks unconvinced and Sora knows he’s gotta pull out the big guns-- the trump card.

“What are you? Scared?” Riku’s eyes snap up to meet his in an instant and Sora knows he’s won. “You think you can’t balance on this huge tree? Come on, even I did it. Twice! And we’re going to have to do it with our camping equipment eventually!”

“What about walking around it?” Riku suggests but from the way his eyes dart to the far side of the pond, Sora can tell that Riku sees how thick the brush is and how neither of them would want to run into any kind of vermin that could be hiding in the reeds.

“Riku,” Sora deadpans. This is getting ridiculous.

“Sora.” Riku shoots back, brows scrunching down in a glare that’s cuter than anything else.

Sora gives him another pointed look before turning around and heading towards the tree, pushing on the trunk a little to make sure it’s just as sturdy as when he crossed it a week ago. Lifting his foot and pulling himself up on top of the tree, he steadies himself, making sure he’s got control of his balance before walking the length of it, minding the branches that stick out and some large knots in the trunk. He takes a moment to look back at Riku who’s already by the base of the tree and mounting it himself.

“Don’t look down.” Is his only advice before he starts scooting across the trunk. It’s not wobbly in the least but tripping and falling in the chill water, then having to stay in wet clothes for the rest of walk back home, and Riku’s ridicule, and even canceling this excursion keep Sora’s pace slow and steady.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Riku calls back, and there’s a waver in his voice like he’s still nervous. Sora thinks it’s endearing. Sora thinks a lot of things about Riku are endearing.

Sora makes it to the other end of the tree with little fanfare, hopping off and pressing his hands down on the trunk to show Riku that he’s helping it stay steady even if it hardly moved when he was on it, anyway.

Riku’s got his arms outstretched, wobbling slightly back and forth, eyes focused on the tree under his feet and a little poke of pink tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration. Sora has to hold back the dreamy sigh that’s fighting to work its way out of him and remind himself that this isn’t a date, it’s serious business. And it could get dangerous. And to focus on the task at hand.

“See? Not bad.” Sora reassures Riku as he makes it to the top of the tree and hops off, brushing his coat off with a flick of his wrists.

“Whatever. Which way now?” He asks, looking around the clearing on the other side of the pond. Sora turns and heads towards the shrubs that separate this small clearing with the campground Sora had found.

The whole trip there takes about a half hour, and that’s with Riku’s bickering about crossing the tree.

“Well, Sora,” Riku starts, eyes scanning the tree line as they stand in the middle of the small campground. “My tent will definitely fit in here. I was kind of worried you just told me it was a campground to get me to play along and it was actually a swamp or something.”

Sora chuckles at that and shoves Riku slightly. “Come on, what do you take me for?”

Riku smiles at that and kicks a rock out of the ground, watching it roll away. “There’s not a lot of debris on the ground, either. That’s good. Don’t want to have to spend a bunch of time making sure the ground is flat for the tent.”

Sora nods to that and steps on a stick, it snapping under the force. “There’s a lot of dead twigs and stuff too. We can make a fire.”

“Roast some marshmallows?” Riku offers with a lopsided grin.

“I already have chocolate and graham crackers at my house.”

“Oh, smores? You’re really pulling all the stops for this one, aren’t you?” Riku’seyebrowss rise under his fringe as he mocks surprise.

“So you’ve noticed,” Sora says, rubbing his index finger under his nose. “Gotta make up for all the other failed attempts.”

Riku’s face goes slightly serious and he regards Sora with that same intense gaze that means he’s thinking harder about something that he should. Sora pretends to ignore it by kicking another rock.

“You really think this is gonna turn out successful? You think we’re going to find something?” The seriousness in his tone as he asks Sora is enough to sober up Sora’s goofy mood.

He really does think they will find something. He knows what he felt. He knows there have been rumors about these woods since he was a kid. And he knows that with enough patience and Riku supporting him, something will happen. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is still up for debate.

Sora looks out towards the trees again, his brow set in a determined line.

“Won’t know until we try,” he offers and Riku grins at him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> orz it’s been a long time but I finally got this chapter out there. Transitional chapters are hard and no one tells you that but take it from me!!!!
> 
> Also writing block is a bitch but we all knew that!

Riku can pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with Sora.

It wasn’t some extravagant event where Sora proved himself the perfect love interest. It wasn’t like there was much fanfare, like seeing hearts, cottonmouth, or a thumping chest, either. Riku didn’t know what falling in love felt like, even given what he’d seen on his mom’s soap operas and other kid shows where the boy likes the girl or vice versa. What he did know was that Sora was there, he was very real, and Riku couldn’t bear the thought of not having him in his life.

And maybe he felt inclined to kiss him sometimes but that always stayed a passing thought. Riku could love his friend and keep his hands to himself. It was just, nothing really prepared him for these thoughts or wanting to treat your guy friend as if he were a girl and also someone you thought about constantly and daydreamed about and, well…

“You scraped your knee climbing up again.” Sora had noted, his own knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He was nervous, more so than usual.

Riku glanced down at the knee in question, saw the shredded skin there and puffy streaks from the bushes and wooden windowsill that could use a repainting. He shrugged, covering the knee with a hand to get Sora’s attention off of it. He was there for a reason, one that came in the form of his walkie-talkie sparking to life at 11:22 at night with Sora’s staticky voice popping through the device saying _”it’s here again, Riku!”_ It just took a moment to make sure his door was locked and his pillows were shoved under his comforter before he was crawling out of his window and jogging down the street.

“‘S not a big deal,” Riku mumbled, avoiding Sora’s pout as best as he could.

Sora sighed at that, letting his legs stretch out and his toes hit Riku’s. “I swear, I saw it in the hall tonight.” He muttered, looking down at his lap.

Riku knew that Sora thought he saw what he said he saw, but Riku also knew that the odds of them catching something were even slimmer than the odds of something otherworldly sneaking around Sora’s house. Still, he couldn’t just tell Sora to suck it up. Not when Sora looked so freaked out over it, and especially not when Sora was so adamant on Riku coming over any time he _did_ see it.

“I believe you,” Riku said with as much conviction as he could muster given them having to whisper so his parents didn’t catch them. The bed creaked under Riku’s weight as he placed a hand on Sora’s shoulder to get him to look up at him. “You saw what you saw. If I didn’t believe you, I wouldn’t have snuck out of my house to come over, right?”

A half-lie. But something that made Sora smile softly. “Yeah…”

A short, comfortable silence fell between them and Sora slumped a little, leaning against Riku’s shoulder, his head thumping Riku’s chin and his hair tickled Riku’s cheek.

“What do you think happens when you die?”

It wasn’t so much the question itself that had Riku’s breath catching in his throat, but how Sora said it. Sounding small and vulnerable and not like how a 13-year-old boy should sound.

“I don’t know… nothing, probably.” Riku mumbled after a moment. Sora stayed silent as well as the two boys mulled it over in their minds before Sora seemed to have come to a conclusion, head still resting on Riku’s shoulder. Hair still tickling his cheek.

“That’s… really sad.”

Riku thought so, too. Still thinks it is.

“But, wait…” Sora sat up and turned more towards Riku. “If you don’t think there’s anything after death, then you don’t believe me that there’s a ghost in my house.” He pouted through the last part and Riku blinked dumbly before smirking and placing his hand on Sora’s forehead and pushing him back. Sora fell back with an _oof_.

“I never said I believed in _ghosts_ , dummy. Just that there’s something here and we’d catch it.” He smirked at Sora who was rubbing his forehead and glaring daggers at Riku.

“Well, know what I think?” Sora grumbles, sitting up more, his legs crossed and hands grasping his ankles. “I think, after we die, our hearts leave our body.”

“Just the heart?” Riku asked, an incredulous smile on his face..

“Yes. _Just_ the heart. It leaves the body and it floats up, goes back to where it came from. All the hearts go back to that place.” Sora looked up then like he could see a heart floating up towards the ceiling.

“And where is this place that the hearts go?” Riku all but mocked. Sora didn’t seem egged on at this point, too lost in thought. His head swiveled back down to give Riku a hauntingly serious look.

“A kingdom. I think they all come from a kingdom.” Riku didn’t know what to say to that. Not with Sora’s face so open, eyes wide and piercingly blue in the dim light of his room. “And I think that hearts that are connected in the kingdom, come to earth connected, too.” At this, Sora smiled, those same piercing eyes dimmed, the color swirling.

Riku almost believed him.

He didn’t know it at the time but there definitely wasn’t a ghost. Sora would wake him up in the middle of the night every few days, saying it was getting worse. The ghost was getting _ballsy_. But there wasn’t a ghost and Riku couldn’t continue to risk sneaking out that often.

After a while, Riku doesn’t remember how long, the calls stopped coming and Sora had the interesting news of his father leaving the house. _For good,_ he said. _Haven’t seen the ghost in a while. But dad’s moving out. I’ll get to see him on weekends, mom says._

Riku thinks there might have been a ghost, after all. Just not the white sheet kind. He knows now that kids act up when they don’t understand what’s going on.

* * *

 

“Whoa, guys. You’re bringing all of that? Aren’t you just staying for one night?” Kairi eyes the pile of camping gear, stepping over it after almost running straight into the pile when she walked over, head in a book.

“Actually, we’re staying the whole weekend, so yes. All of this is extremely necessary.” Sora says, flopping down next to the pile, leaning back on his hands. “And it’s really damn heavy.”

“Good thing you have Riku to help you with his big, strong muscles.” Kairi wiggles her eyebrows at Riku who pointedly ignores her.

“Hey, I’m plenty strong!” Sora sits up, flexing an arm and Riku can’t help but trail his gaze over the bump that’s larger than he expected it to be. Huh. “And besides, it’s a short walk. Plus it’s not like I can’t bring my equipment.”

Sora’s equipment consists of two dowsing rods, three EVP readers (one for each of them and one in case one of them drops one in the river), a recorder, a decently nice camcorder, a microphone, two pairs of headphones, flashlights, one Go-Pro and harness, a selfie stick, and a haunted wooden sword.

Kairi’s eyeing the sword at that moment, looking as nervous as she always does when she sees it.

“What about food? You’re going to have to bring something to eat.” She points out and Sora beams at her, reaching to the side of the pile closest to him and pulling out a box of Clif Bars.

“Way ahead of you.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be heading back into town to get real food in the daytime. Not like there’s much to do when the sun’s up.” Riku sighs, plucking the box from Sora’s hand and tossing it back into the pile. “Stop touching things so I can make my list.”

Sora sticks his tongue out at Riku who pointedly ignores _that_ before smiling back at Kairi.

“We’ll be fine, Kai. It’ll be just like when we were kids, but with fewer farmers shooting at us.”

“And broken bones!” Sora calls out, which earns him a concerned glare from Kairi.

“Hopefully,” Riku adds, giving Sora his own unsettled look. “And anyway, it’s just in the local woods. Nothing we’ve never done before.”

Kairi looks less than convinced but she drops the subject.

Sora had assured her and Riku, multiple times, that the plan for the weekend was simple. Friday afternoon, they would rendezvous at Sora’s, where they will divvy up the gear and head towards the park. Sora’s more than sure they’ll have camp set up before the sun sets and then the first night of investigating will commence. Riku won’t have to do anything too extravagant other than hold some equipment and keep his eyes and ears on the lookout for anything suspicious.

Saturday, they can sleep in as long as they want, which Riku is more than thankful for. It shouldn’t be too hot for them, either. Then, food, if Riku has any say in it, which he will. The park has a creek in it they used to frequent as children, catching crayfish and chasing each other with pants pulled up to the knees and mud between their toes. Riku should really find his fishing pole.

The second night of investigating will be much like the same, using Sora’s equipment to try and capture something.

They’ll pack up camp on Sunday and Sora will spend the rest of the week going through all of the footage and recordings to see if he can find something. Riku used to help with this until Sora realized that he was just pretending to pay attention and that he was probably missing crucial evidence by assuming a random moan was the wind or an owl or that one scream was a vixen and not a banshee. It was a vixen, though, if you asked Riku what he thought. It was definitely a vixen.

An entire weekend alone with Sora.

It’s a thought that has crossed Riku’s mind more than once since Sora proposed the idea to him and he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that the thought was more than tantalizing, considering a lot of their time is spent in the company of other friends. Riku can’t help but be a little selfish where Sora’s involved, having been his first friend and all.

Riku knows he’s going to have to be extra careful about how he acts around Sora because Sora is airheaded, but sharp when Riku least expects it and any sort of awkwardness won’t go unnoticed when most of their time together is going to be spent with little to no distraction.

Because like hell they’ll actually catch something.

Kairi insists on taking them out to eat as a “final meal” before she never sees them again and Riku can’t help but feel a little worried with how much she’s bringing it up. Just to spite her, Riku orders two entrees and looks her in the eyes as he eats them.

* * *

 

Riku wakes up before his alarm Friday morning. It’s not because he’s excited about the weekend that his eyes crack open as the sun begins to peek over the horizon, though he is excited for the weekend in general. He rubs his face into his pillow with a groan because, out of all the nights this could happen, it happens right before he‘s going to be alone with the guy for the next few days.

Riku is cursed, in that he remembers virtually every dream he’s ever had. This is a curse because most are so mundane, it feels like a waste of mental space to remember them. Sora likes to hear about those kinds of dreams, regardless. He says it’s interesting to see into the enigma that is Riku’s psyche. Like the one where Riku dreamt about waking up in his bed, like usual, went to his kitchen and made a sandwich, then woke up again in his bed, went downstairs and made a sandwich, and _then_ woke up a third time, like actually woke up, to a dark room at 3 in the morning. Sora laughed so hard, Riku thought he might throw up.

There isn’t a day that Sora doesn’t ask Riku to relay to him what interesting dream he had the night before and Riku tells him about them, usually. Sometimes they’re hard to recount, being much too convoluted and choppy. Other times, it’s because of the subject matter, and though Sora isn’t a child and neither is Riku, he still doesn’t think Sora would be that interested in learning that Riku has had some less than PG dreams about his best friend. In fact, he suspects Sora would be downright weirded out over it if he knew that Riku had dreams about their honeymoon or being locked in a janitor closet, or some other similar wish Riku kept squashed in his subconscious.

This morning is no different, with the feeling of lips on his fading with the brightening of his room as the sun continues to rise.

Riku sits up, head bent over and rubs his face with his hands this time before blinking blearily at his window, weighing his options. Try to sleep a little longer and hope that he doesn’t fall back into the same dream, or get up and start his day. Maybe the lack of sleep will help him sleep on the bumpy forest floor later tonight? And maybe if he’s up long enough, the feeling left over from the dream won’t stick with him for the rest of the weekend.

Normal Friday’s for Riku consist of him waking up, preferably when his alarm goes off, eating whatever is easiest to make before he leaves for his day, whether he’s on shift at his part-time or joining Sora and Kairi for whatever they have planned.

He opts for a hardier breakfast, actually putting effort into it, and while he’s shying away from the popping oil of the bacon as it sizzles in the pan, he gets a call from Kairi that sends his already anxiety-induced mind into a near panic.

“Forget your sleeping bag.”

Riku sputters and then cursed as a drop of hot oil hits his forearm. “Are you sleep calling me again?”

“If you conveniently forget your sleeping bag, then you’ll have to share one with Sora!” Ah. “Bam. Weekend worth it.”

“Look, I know you mean well, but that is the dumbest plan you’ve ever come up with.”

He can practically hear the pout in her voice as she whines back at him. “You’re no fun.”

“And you need to stop living vicariously through me. Just drop out of school and write romance novels or something. This is real life.”

“Jeez, someone’s grouchy. I thought you’d be in better spirits.” She snorts then. “Get it? _Spirits_?”

“Yeah, Kai.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. Another pop from the frying pan.

“Because you’re-“

“Yeah, I get it. “

“-You’re going ghost hunting.”

“Cryptid hunting, first off. And secondly, the sleeping bag is huge and attaches to the top of my hiking backpack and Sora would point it out immediately if he noticed it wasn’t there when we meet up today.”

“Not unless he has the same idea.” She singsongs. Riku takes a moment to catch on to what she means before she’s changing the subject. “Also I just checked the weather and there’s a possibility of storms this weekend so, make sure to add the flyleaf to the tent. Don’t let Sora talk you out of half-assing that or you’re going to have a soggy sleeping area.”

“Mmhm.” Bacon’s done. Perfectly crispy.

“I actually just got off the phone with Sora who is surprisingly awake and aware this early in the morning. He must be excited!”

“‘Course he is.” This is his hobby, afterall.

“I think it means a lot to him, you know.” Kairi’s voice takes on a softer note at that, grabbing Riku’s attention instantly. “It’s been awhile since you guys have done something like this. I think he was thinking you might have outgrown it.”

Riku scoffs at that, but there’s no heat behind it. “Implying that I wasn’t always too old for this?”

“You know what I mean.” And he does. He does it for Sora, to make him happy. Because who else would? Well, that’s not even entirely true, either. Riku does it for incredibly selfish reasons. Kairi never judges him for it.

“Anyway,” she cuts in, seeming to come back to reality herself. “Be safe. Make sure you have something to protect yourself with. There hasn’t been any news on coyote issues in the area but keep a lookout. Don’t let Sora do anything too reckless and call me if you need anything!” With that she says her goodbye and hangs up, leaving Riku with his hard bacon and a rolling in his stomach that is more than just anticipation for the best.

It’s going to be a long weekend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so mad! I heard that changing your doc font to comic sans helps you type faster and helps with writer's block and I was having an issue with this chapter for literally a month straight, find this little piece of trivia out, tried it, wrote the rest of it in almost one sitting. >:C Inconceivable!

Sora readjusts his grip on his backpack strap before pressing the doorbell again. He hadn’t texted Riku beforehand letting him know he was on his way, too caught up in making sure he had everything and leaving before it got too late. Still, it isn’t the first time Sora’s shown up unannounced and it certainly won’t be the last. Besides, today’s the Big Day and he knows he hasn’t been able to shut up about it for weeks. Riku’s a god among men for putting up with it like he does. Always going along with any hair-brained scheme Sora’s come up with throughout the years.

He only has to wait another moment before he hears heavy footsteps approach the door and it’s opening to reveal a disheveled Riku, looking at Sora with wide eyes and hair a mess.

“I fell asleep.”

“I can see that,” Sora giggles, shouldering himself passed Riku to walk inside. He sets his camping bag on the ground with a thud and turns to Riku, hands placed defiantly on his hips. “I hope you’re at least packed. The sun’s going to be setting soon.”

“Yeah, I packed last night,” Riku says through a yawn as he runs a hand through his hair. “Part of the reason I took a nap, actually. Didn’t sleep well.”

“Excited? Nervous?” Sora asks, getting a blank stare in response.

“You wish,” is all Riku says, putting his full palm against Sora’s face and pushing him back, playfully. “Let me just freshen up and then we can head out.”

Sora sputters, gaining his balance before sending Riku’s back an incredulous stare. “What’s there to freshen up? We’re about to be in the wilderness for like, three days! You better get used to not having your million hair products.”

Riku flicks him off as he rounds the corner to the hall and Sora has to laugh before following him leisurely, hands clasped behind his head.

“Well, you better not fall asleep on me tonight is all I’m saying. Maybe I’ll let you nap after we set up the tent.” He watches Riku wash his face from the bathroom door. “But you have to be alert when we start our investigation.”

Riku peeks out at him from behind the face towel he’s using to dry off. “Yeah, yeah. I know,” is his muffled reply. “I’m going to be putting my all into this, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried!” Sora sputters. “I’m just making sure I’m not going to be stuck doing all the hard work because you need your beauty sleep.” Not that he needs any amount of beauty sleep.

Riku tosses his face towel at Sora and walks by him to head towards his room, a soft “dork,” leaving his lips as Sora throws the towel back into the bathroom.

Riku’s room is something that hasn’t changed no matter what the two of them have gone through. He still has glow-in-the-dark stars and planets on his ceiling. Sora had given them to him for his birthday when they were nine and Sora and Riku were allowed to use the step ladder to put them on themselves.

Sora takes his usual seat on the edge of Riku’s bed and flops down on his back, looking up at those same stars and planets and thinking about how Riku probably doesn’t need a step ladder to reach the ceiling anymore, but Sora still would. It’s a thought that used to bother him but rarely does now. Riku had pounded it into his mind, both figuratively and physically, that Sora has no flaws and he shouldn’t beat himself up over anything that he doesn’t have control over. Sora had relented but only after Riku said his height was perfect for him. Something about that conversation stuck with Sora, making him feel warm inside whenever it comes to mind.

“How cold’s it going to be tonight?” Riku asks, bringing Sora out of his thoughts. “I just want to make sure I have the right coat for this weekend.” He’s holding up two jackets. One’s a full-on winter jacket, the one he usually wears when it’s snowing out and they’re both recruited into shoveling the driveway for Sora’s mom. The other is a leather jacket that Sora doesn’t recognize. It looks expensive and something in the back of Sora’s mind prods-- where and _when_ did he get something that cool. Something even farther back whispers, _I want to see him in that._

“Uh, not very. I think the leather jacket would be better.” He licks his lips and watches Riku look at each jacket in turn, weighing his options. “B-but, I mean, if it’s going to get ruined-- I wouldn’t-- I mean, it looks kinda formal…”

“Nah, it’s leather. ‘S meant to take a little bit of a beating. That’s why I got it.” Riku hangs the thicker jacket back up in his closet and tosses the leather jacket on his desk chair. It makes a loud _thunk_ as it lands. Must be heavy.

“Well, look at you, coughin’ up the big bucks for some fashion,” Sora wiggles his eyebrows at Riku who scoffs but goes back to gathering his things. Sora pushes himself off of Riku’s bed and walks over to the desk, picking up the jacket and looking it over.

“It wasn’t that expensive, you know.”

“Yeah, I bet. How much was it?” Sora turns the jacket around and slips an arm in, pulling it across his back and shouldering himself into it.

“Couple hundred,” Riku offers and Sora spins on him, mouth open in shock, ready to explode on him for spending that much money on literally _anything_ when he notices Riku’s look. It’s wide-eyed and a little slack-jawed and directed at him.

“A-a _couple_ hundred? Jeez, Riku. Where’d you even get that kind of money?” Sora manages to stutter out.

He turns towards Riku’s full-length mirror to see what could possibly make Riku have _that_ look and he’s greeted with exactly what he expected. A small man, swimming in a leather jacket.

“You coulda taken Kairi and me out to lunch _and_ dinner with that kinda dough,” he says in an attempt to lighten whatever this mood is. He glances at Riku through the mirror and swallows thickly. It’s then that Riku reaches up and places a light hand on Sora’s head, stopping any sort of brain function, instantly.

There’s a long pause where neither says anything. Sora’s glad he’s only looking at Riku through the mirror and not straight at him or he’d be red as a tomato. Sometimes, Riku gives Sora this _look_ that Sora has yet to find a name for. It’s not an angry look or a sad one. It’s not mirthful and joky. It’s something foreign and intense. He’s seen it on Riku so many time’s it’s just been dubbed ‘The Riku Look.’ And whenever it’s aimed at Sora, which it usually is, it lasts longer than a look should. Like now.

And is it just Sora, or is he closer than he was a second ago?

There’s another beat of silence and Sora’s just about to say something-- anything to break it when Riku’s hand twists on his head, rubbing his hair back and forth roughly, and Sora’s instantly batting his hand away with a groan, twisting around to glare up at him. Just like that, the spell is broken and Sora still doesn’t have a name for that look.

“I can still take you two out, to like McDonald’s or something,” Riku sneers and Sora sticks his tongue out at him.

“Whatever, Mr. Moneybags, just finish packing so we can get on the road.”

* * *

 

A few more shared awkward silences and a packed car later and they’re finally-- _finally_ on their way to the park. Sora’s practically vibrating with excitement. He can picture it, now. Their equipment beeping and whirring, set up to catch anything amiss with the surrounding area. Riku with headphones on, listening for anything that sounds otherworldly. Sora with his own equipment, alert and ready for anything. This is the dream because this time-- _this time_ \-- they’re going to catch something. He can feel it.

Riku glances at him from the driver’s seat and smirks. “You’re really excited, huh?”

“Can you tell?” Sora squeaks, and he knows the smile he’s sporting is practically splitting his face from how Riku looks at him. It’s not The Look, but it’s another one that’s worth noting. It’s fond and patient and adoring. Sora knows he’s given Riku a similar look at least once a week.

“Just don’t get too bent out of shape if we don’t get anything. I don’t want to have to deal with Depressed Sora for any amount of time.” Sora puffs his cheeks out at that.

“Oh, we’ll catch something. And when we do, you’ll be sorry because you’ll have to deal with Right Sora, and then you’ll have to admit that this shit is real!” Riku rolls his eyes at that and Sora cackles.

“Still waiting for you to prove me wrong.”

“You’ll eat those words, my friend. I got a feeling.”

The park is by no means 24-hours. Riku and Sora knew going into this that a few rules were going to have to be glossed over. So, Riku parks the car in a parking lot nearby, one that belongs to a small strip mall that is always inhabited by someone. This leaves them with a small hike to the park and then another hike through the park to their campsite.

Sora thinks it’s the adrenaline that’s keeping him upright as Riku packs more and more onto his back. He knows he’s Sora more to carry on purpose but he can’t be bothered by that right now. Not when a _heartless_ is in that forest, waiting to be caught by them. It’s calling his name and he’s all but bouncing on the balls of his feet when Riku shuts the trunk and adjusts the straps of his own backpack.

“I know it’s pointless to ask, but are you ready?” He sighs and Sora breaks out into a brisk walk as if the leash holding him back finally snaps under the strain of him pulling at it.

“I was _born_ ready!”

* * *

 

The hike is only a _little bit_ harder to make with 20 pounds of equipment on their backs. Sora’s already working up a sweat and he just _knows_ Riku’s about to start complaining when they reach the path that leads to the small lake.

“Wait, stop,” Sora bumps into Riku’s backpack but Riku hardly budges as he stares out into the thicket.

“What’s the holdup?” Sora rubs his nose and Riku glances back at him.

“Did you hear that?”

He peeks up at Riku and is only slightly startled at the serious look on his face as he scans the surrounding area. Could there actually be something out there? Were they finding evidence already? And, shit, Sora didn’t have any of his equipment out. He’s fumbling with his pocket to fish out his phone when Riku yells out, making Sora yell out as well, almost dropping his phone.

“Did you see that?” Riku says, frantically and Sora’s looking around, trying to find anything amiss with the trail they’re on.

“What? What was it? What’d you see? Was it the heartless?”

It’s at that moment that Riku starts chuckling, which turns into a full body laugh. He’s bent over, clutching his stomach as he howls and Sora has half a mind to chuck his phone at him.

“Oh, come on, Riku! That’s not funny!” Sora’s pouting but it’s been a while since he’s seen Riku let loose like this. He was never one for showing too much emotion. Sora thinks he might be the only person in the world who’s seen Riku laugh like this, eyes closed, mouth open as he laughs with his whole being. At least, a small, selfish part of Sora hopes he’s the only one.

“If you had seen your face, you would have thought it was,” Riku’s wiping at his eyes as his laughter dwindles down to a chuckle-- the deep, husky chuckle that Sora hears most of the time but loves nonetheless.

“Whatever, ass.” Sora shoves him as he walks by but it only makes Riku chuckle again which makes Sora crack a smile that he hides in the collar of his hoodie.

They make it to the pond as the sun starts to dip and Sora thinks that if they keep stopping for every weird bug or bird Riku notices, they’re going to be caught in the dark before they even reach the campsite. Sora looks back at Riku who has been kicking the same rock for 5 minutes when he gets an idea.

“Hey, last one to the campsite has to set up by himself!” Sora takes great delight in the way Riku looks up, blank-faced, mouth ajar, before he’s hiking his backpack up and jogging towards the tree trunk bridge before Riku can process what he just said.

“Sor-Wait! That’s dangerous, idiot!”

The tree is sturdy. Sora’s been over it multiple times by now, and a backpack isn’t enough to throw him off balance, he doesn’t think. Riku’s always been a little overprotective of him, not that he always complains about it. Sometimes it’s endearing.

Sora can trace it back to eighth grade. His home life seemed to have been in a constant state of change and he had a hard time processing the emotions before another thing would be upended and he’d have to start all over again.

On top of that, his grades were slipping and he wasn’t enjoying the things that used to make him happy. Looking back, he’s sure that everyone noticed but the only person who seemed to reach out to him was Riku. Because of course, it was Riku. It was always Riku.

They had extended day together every other day after school. Riku would bring different card games, pogs, his Gameboy, anything to cheer Sora up while he waited for whichever parent was chosen to pick him up that day. It helped but it was just a balm, not a solution. Sora knew this. Sora knew Riku knew this. But he tried, regardless and that was more than what anyone else was doing.

“I brought jacks this time,” Riku stated, holding up a pull-string velvet bag, his face the same serene aloofness that their peers were starting to think was coo

“That’s a little retro, don’tcha think?” Sora sneered. Riku just shrugged and sat down on the floor.

“Doesn’t mean they’re not fun.” He taught Sora how to play and, for the moment, Sora didn’t think about his parents or how empty the house felt now, or how he overheard his mom crying, or the houses for rent flyers he found on the kitchen table. There was just Riku and the cool metal of the jacks in his hand.

A few days later, the bullying started.

Riku got detention the first time he knocked a kid down to defend Sora. He got ISS the second time. Sora begged him to stop because a third time meant they wouldn’t see each other at school anymore. Sora could fight too if he wanted to. He just didn’t see the point. Riku was getting mad for both of their sakes, which was nice of him but not worth it in the long run.

Luckily, or unluckily, kids started leaving Sora alone and he had a hunch it was because Riku was a foreboding shadow behind him.

Well, Sora can’t say he ever blamed Riku for acting the way he did. Sora would have done the same. So, he lets Riku dote on him. It’s kinda nice, regardless.

Sora hops onto the roots of the fallen tree, wobbling only a little before he looks back and sees Riku jogging up to him. He looks pissed. Sora figured as much. He turns back to the tree trunk that lays before him and starts walking forward, one foot in front of the other as fast as he can without losing his balance.

“Boy, I can’t wait to watch Riku struggle with putting up the tent by himself while I sit back and drink one of my Capris Suns!” Sora calls over his shoulder, keeping his eyes fixed on the tree under his feet.

“I’ll tell you what’s going to happen, Sora,” Riku grunts out as he climbs up the roots to get on the tree himself. “I’ll be stuck putting the tent up, but only because you wouldn’t know what you’re doing and you’ll be too busy drying off after busting your ass and falling into this pond.”

“Pfft!” Sora sputters, laughing. “I have the agility of a cat, Riku- a _cat_!”

“Famous last words,” Riku mutters and Sora’s about to whip around and tell him off when he feels the side of his foot skid downwards and he knows, that instant, that he’s going to fucking fall. Like Riku said he would. Like _anyone_ would have said he would. And it’s going to suck and he’s going to lose and Riku is going to give him The Talk and baby him the rest of the trip!

Sora starts to yell as the world tips and his arms flail out to grab something, anything, but there’s nothing because he’s on a tree trunk hanging over a pond that’s four feet below and he’s probably going to sprain an ankle and ruin the trip and Riku will rub his nose in it.

And they _definitely_ won’t find a heartless.

Sora hears Riku call out to him as his world tilts and then jolts to a stop as Riku catches him by the front of his hoodie and heaves backward, pulling Sora towards him.

“Stupid! You could’ve really gotten hurt!” Riku says, his voice pitched up a little.

Sora’s still trying to catch up to what just happened. Both of his feet are planted firmly on the tree trunk, his hands pressed against Riku’s chest and Riku’s free arm wrapped around his shoulders, helping him keep his balance.

“Wh… I’m fine.” Sora doesn’t know what else he should say. _Thank you_ doesn’t feel right. What he does know is that sometimes, when they end up this close, Sora’s heart kicks into overdrive and his palms get all clammy and he has a hard time coming up with thoughts, let alone words. Riku’s very distracting and it’s only made worse when Sora is close enough that he can _smell_ him, too. He’s earthy, like moss and herbs. Kind of reminds Sora of the smell after heavy rain in the summer, where the sidewalks steam and everything is lush and wet.

He pushes back, standing up straight again after blinking up at Riku dumbly a few times and clears his throat. Riku gives him The Riku Look for the second time today and it sends a shiver down his spine that he chalks up to being the chill of the air, or almost breaking his head open-- definitely not a look to read into right now.

“Why don’t we wait until we’re both on solid land to race, huh?” The Look dissolves into a cocky smirk and the tension snaps in an instant.

Sora shoves him slightly before adjusting the straps of his backpack. “Sounds like something someone who was about to _lose_ would say,” he sticks his tongue out at Riku for good measure, to hide the blush and keep things light and distract him from the internal struggle of how hot Riku _always_ seems to be.

“Well, now I’m definitely going to have to beat you,” Riku chuckles from behind him but Sora’s already scooting along the trunk as fast as he can, happy to not be facing him so he can blush in peace for a moment.

It’s only been 30 minutes and Sora is losing his cool.

He has a whole weekend to survive.

Sora groans.

* * *

 

Riku ends up winning the race after they’ve made it over the pond. Sora’s still a little pink from having Riku help him off the other end of the tree trunk, but he expected Riku would do that much.

They find the clearing and dump their bags. Sora watches Riku roll his shoulders as he surveys the clearing.

“First, we have to make sure there aren’t any sticks and rocks where we put the tent.” He turns to Sora with a cheeky smile on his lips. “Trust me, you do _not_ want to roll over onto a rock in the middle of the night.”

“Hey, what’s all this ‘we’ stuff, you won.” Sora’s pulling out two water bottles and tosses one to Riku who catches it without even looking up at it. “I’ll start clearing it.”

Riku kicks a rock across the clearing and takes a swig out of his water bottle. “Nah, you wouldn’t be able to set a whole tent up by yourself.

“Yeah, but--”

“Sora, if you want to get set up before it gets too dark, then I’m going to have to help. I’d end up barking out orders at you, anyway.”

Sora sticks his tongue out at him and Riku just laugh and pushes his face back. “Enough goofin’ off, hand me those poles.”

“Then what was the point of you winning?” Sora grumbles under his breath. Riku just smirks.

Setting up the tent turns out to be much more difficult than Sora had expected, but just as he _had_ expected, Riku knows exactly what he’s doing and he takes charge in bossing Sora around. Sora didn’t realize these metal poles were supposed to bend so much, and only once did a pole pop out of the ground and almost take him out in the process.

The tarp is dusty and there’s still old dirt in it from countless other camping trips but they sweep it out with the small hand duster Riku brought and Sora wastes no time climbing into the tent and setting up his side. He lays out all of his equipment, organizing them by day. He’s going to use the EKG meter tonight, along with the footstep camera and his full spectrum modified camera.

He knows Riku’s sitting by his own sleeping bag, watching him, _judging_ him.

“Y’got somethin’ to say?” Sora pouts over his shoulder at Riku who just sighs.

“Can’t a guy sit in his tent and enjoy his hard work? I don’t know about you but that wasn’t exactly easy.” Riku snuffs and then looks around. “Also, we forgot the rain fly.”

“What’s that,” Sora sits back on his haunches.

“It’s a piece of the tent that goes over the roof and keeps rain out. See how there’s mesh at the top and for the windows? If it was all tarp, it would get disgusting in here, so those are there to air it out. If it rains, we’ll…”

“It won’t rain,” Sora says it more to convince himself than to prove anything to Riku.

“I sure hope not.”

 _It can’t,_ Sora thinks. Not this weekend.

Sora is going to finally get evidence of the supernatural. The weather is going to be perfect. And Riku is going to eat his words. This weekend was meant for Sora and nothing is going to ruin it.

Right?


End file.
